Women in the Ministry of Jesus

Memory
Text: For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. . . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are
all one in Christ Jesus(Galatians
3:26-28, NKJV).

Luke's Gospel is sometimes called the
Gospel of Women because, more than any other one, it makes
special mention of how caring Jesus was to the needs of women and also
of how involved women were in His ministry.

In the time of Jesus, as in some cultures today, women were
deemed of little worth. Some Jewish men in that time thanked God that
they were not created a slave, a Gentile, or a woman. Greek and Roman
society sometimes treated women even worse. Roman culture developed its
permissiveness to an almost unlimited licentiousness. A man often had a
wife only in order to produce legitimate children who would inherit his
property, and he had concubines for his own sinful pleasures.

Against such a backdrop of women being treated so badly, Jesus
brought the good news that women are, indeed, daughters of Abraham (see
Luke 13:16). How happy the women of those days must have
been to hear
that, in Jesus, they are children of God and of equal worth with men in
the sight of God. The message today for women of all nations remains
the same: we are all, men and women, one in Christ Jesus.

Study this week's lesson to prepare for
Sabbath, May 9.

Sunday May 3

Women Who Welcomed Jesus' Advent

Only Luke records the reaction of these women to the wonder of
cosmic history: that the Son of God took human flesh in order to
complete the redemptive mission of the Father and fulfill the Messianic
hopes of His people. Though these women didn't fully understand what
was happening, their words and reactions to these astonishing events
revealed their faith and wonder at the works of God.

Read
Luke 1:39-45, the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary. What does
Elizabeth say that reveals her understanding, however limited, of the
great events that were taking place?

After Elizabeth spoke, Mary then followed with her own words (Luke 1:46-55). Often understood
to be a song, these words are full of fragments from the Old Testament,
attesting that Mary was a devoted student of Scripture and thus a fit
mother for Jesus. Mary's song is rooted not only in Scripture but deep
down in her relationship with God. An identity emerges between her soul
and her Lord, and between her faith and Abraham's hope.

Read
Luke 2:36-38. What important truths are brought to light in the story
of Anna in the temple?

Expectant hope finds its radical fulfillment in Jesus. An old
widow recognizes the miracle, and from then on she made it her
compulsive mission to proclaim the Savior to all those who came to the
temple. She became the first woman evangelist of the gospel.

Try to imagine the wonder and
astonishment of these women at the events unfolding around them. What
can we do to help keep alive in our own hearts the wonder and
astonishment of the great truths that we have been called to proclaim?

Monday May 4

Women and Jesus' Healing Ministry

Read
Luke 7:11-17, the story about the miracle at Nain. This woman,
impoverished and widowed, now faced another trial, the death of her
only son. A large crowd of mourners was with her in the funeral
procession, expressing public grief and sympathy. The loss of her only
son coupled with the uncertain future of life alone turned the widow
into a picture of absolute sorrow and hopelessness.

But the funeral procession going out of the city met with
another
procession entering into it. At the head of the outgoing procession was
death in a casket; at the head of the incoming procession was life in
the majesty of the Creator. As the processions met, Jesus saw the
widow, hopeless and full of grief. When the Lord saw her, his
heart went out to her and he said, Don't
cry(Luke 7:13,
NIV). The plea not to cry would have been meaningless had
it not come from Jesus, the Lord of life. For behind the command Don't
cry! was the power to remove the reason for her crying: Jesus
reached forward, touched the coffin, and ordered the young man to
arise. The touch was considered a ceremonial defilement (Num. 19:11-13), but to Jesus
compassion was more important than ceremonies. Meeting human needs was
more urgent than adhering to mere rituals.

The village of Nain not only witnessed a great miracle but
also received a marvelous message: in Jesus there is no difference
between the emotional pangs of men and those of women. And His presence
confronts and confounds the power of death.

Read also Luke 8:41-42,49-56. Jairus was an influential
person-a ruler of the synagogue, an officer in charge of the care and
services of the synagogue. Each Sabbath he would choose the person who
would lead in prayer, Scripture reading, and preaching. He was a person
not only of eminence and influence but also of wealth and power. He
loved his daughter and did not hesitate to approach Jesus for the
healing of his child.

In these stories, it was the power of
Jesus' words that brought a dead son back to his mother and a dead
daughter back to her father. Think about how incredible these acts must
have been to those who saw it, especially to the parents. What do these
accounts tell us about the power of God? What do they tell us about
just how limited we are in understanding that power (after all, science
at present doesn't have a clue about how this could happen). Most
important, though, what must we do in order to learn to trust in this
power, and the goodness of the God who wields it, regardless of our
present circumstances?

Tuesday May 5

Women of Gratitude and Faith

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus turned a meal into an event of
spiritual magnitude that offered dignity to a sinful woman. Simon, a
leading citizen, a Pharisee, invited Jesus for a meal. Invitees seated,
there was a sudden disruption: a woman in the city who was a
sinner(Luke 7:37, NKJV)
rushed straight to Jesus, broke an
alabaster box of very expensive perfume, poured the ointment on Him,
bowed down to His feet, and washed them with her tears.

What
lessons can we learn from the woman's outpouring of gratitude and
Jesus' acceptance of her act of faith?

When to human eyes her case appeared hopeless, Christ
saw in Mary capabilities for good. He saw the better traits of her
character. The plan of redemption has invested humanity with great
possibilities, and in Mary these possibilities were to be realized.
Through His grace she became a partaker of the divine nature. . . .
Mary was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who
first proclaimed a risen Saviour.-Ellen G. White, The Desire
of Ages, p. 568.

In Luke 8:43-48, a case of supreme wretchedness becomes the
object of the Savior's supreme regard. For so long, this woman had an
incurable disease that ravaged her body and soul. Yet, in this 12-year
tragedy, a flicker of hope suddenly burst on the scene: She
heard about Jesus(Mark
5:27, NKJV).

What did she hear? A little or a lot, we do not know. But she
knew that Jesus cared for the poor; He embraced social outcasts; He
touched lepers; He turned water into wine; and above all, He cared for
desperate people, of which she was one. But hearing was not enough;
hearing must lead to faith (Rom. 10:17).
And that faith led her to a
simple act of touching the edge of His garment. That touch was
faith-driven, purposeful, efficacious, and Christ-focused. Only such a
faith can receive the benediction of the Life-giver: Your
faith has made you well(Luke
8:48, NKJV).

It's so easy to look at people and
judge them, isn't it? Even if we often don't verbalize it, in our
hearts we judge them, which is still so wrong. How can we learn to stop
judging others, even in our thoughts, when who knows what we'd do were
we in their situations?

Wednesday
May 6

Some Women Who Followed Jesus

Read
Luke 10:38-42. What important spiritual truths can we take from this
story (see also Luke 8:14) for ourselves?

As the hostess, Martha was distracted with much
serving(Luke 10:40, NKJV)
and was busy in getting the best for the guests. But Mary sat
at Jesus' feet and heard His word(Luke
10:39, NKJV). So much so
that Martha complained to Jesus that she alone was left to do the hard
work. While Jesus did not rebuke Martha for her preoccupation with
service, He pointed out the need for right priorities in life.
Fellowship with Jesus is the first essential in discipleship; potluck
can come later.

The cause of Christ needs careful, energetic workers.
There is a wide field for the Marthas, with their zeal in active
religious work. But let them first sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus.
Let diligence, promptness, and energy be sanctified by the grace of
Christ; then the life will be an unconquerable power for good.-Ellen
G. White, The Desire of Ages,
p. 525.

Read
Luke 8:1-3; 23:55-56; 24:1-12. What do these verses teach about the
role of women in Christ's ministry?

As His ministry expanded, Jesus went through every
city and village, preaching and teaching (Luke 8:1, NKJV), with the 12
disciples accompanying Him. Luke also records the powerful testimony
that certain women whom Jesus had healed, who were touched by His
preaching, and who were of wealth, also followed Him in His enlarged
ministry. Here are some whom Luke mentions: (1) certain women healed of
evil spirits, including Mary Magdalene; (2) Joanna, wife of Chuza,
business manager of Herod; (3) Susanna; and (4) many others
who provided for Him(Luke
8:3, NKJV).

When we understand that Jesus died for
every human being, we can better grasp the true equality of every
person before God. How well do we reflect this truth in our attitude
toward others? That is, how can you root out, if necessary, any
attitude in which you might tend to look down upon others as somehow
less worthy than yourself?

Thursday
May 7

Persistent in Prayer, Sacrificial in Giving

Luke shows how Jesus turned to two widows in order to teach
important spiritual truths.

In the first case (Luke
18:1-8), Jesus pitied a poor and powerless widow who was
up against a wicked and powerful judge in her fight for justice. She
was a victim of injustice and fraud, and yet, she believed in the rule
of the law and in justice. But the judge was anti-God and anti-people,
and so he obviously did not care to help the widow. Caring for widows
is a biblical requirement (Exod.
22:22-24, Ps. 68:5, Isa. 1:17), but the judge took delight
in ignoring the law. However, the widow had one weapon, perseverance,
and with it she wore out the judge and got her justice.

The parable teaches three important lessons: (1) always pray
and never get discouraged (Luke 18:1),
(2) prayer changes things-even the heart of an evil judge,
and (3) persistent faith is a conquering faith. True faith has eternal
counsel to every Christian: never give up, even if that means waiting
for the final vindication when the Son of Man comes(Luke 18:8, NKJV).

In the second case (Luke
21:1-4, Mark 12:41-44), no sooner had Jesus finished
denouncing the religious hypocrisy and pretension of the scribes and
the leaders around the temple that He then pointed out a stark contrast
to them: a poor widow who reveals the nature of genuine religion.

Jesus described some of the religious leaders as those who devour
widows' houses(Luke 20:47,
NKJV) and who violate the biblical mandate to care for the
widows and the poor. As today, many gave only in order to look pious;
and worse, what they gave they gave out of their own surplus wealth.
Their giving really involved no personal sacrifice. In contrast, Jesus
asked His disciples to look to the widow as the model of true religion,
for she gave all that she had.

Show was the motive of the first group; sacrifice and the
glory of God was the motive of the widow. To acknowledge God's
ownership of all that she had and to serve Him with all she had was the
force that propelled the widow to give her two mites. What counts
before the all-seeing eyes of the Creator is not what we give but why
we give; not how much we give but what is the measure of our sacrifice.

How much do you sacrifice of yourself
for the good of others and for the cause of God?

Friday May 8

Further
Study: He who remembered His mother when He
was hanging in agony upon the cross; who appeared to the weeping women
and made them His messengers to spread the first glad tidings of a
risen Saviour-He is woman's best friend today and is ready to aid her
in all the relations of life.-Ellen G. White, The Adventist
Home, p. 204.

The Lord has a work for women as well as for men.
They may take their places in His work at this crisis, and He will work
through them. If they are imbued with a sense of their duty, and labor
under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they will have just the
self-possession required for this time. The Saviour will reflect upon
these self-sacrificing women the light of His countenance, and will
give them a power that exceeds that of men. They can do in families a
work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can
come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is
needed.-Ellen G. White, Evangelism,
pp. 464,465.

Discussion Questions:

One of the most interesting aspects of the Gospels,
including Luke, has to do with the role of women in regard to the
resurrection of Jesus. All the Gospel stories have women as the first
ones to see the risen Christ and to proclaim His resurrection to
others. Biblical apologists have been able to use this fact to help
affirm the reality of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, which some
people deny or question. Why is the role of women here so important?
Because if, as some claim, the stories of Jesus' resurrection were
fabricated by the authors, why would they have put women, who weren't
highly regarded in that society, as the first ones to see and to
proclaim Jesus? If they were making up stories in order to try to get
people at that time to believe, why use women as opposed to men?
Discuss.

In a society that didn't always recognize the dignity of
women, Jesus recognized the status that belongs to them in God's
creative order as children of God. Women as well as men are made in
God's image and equal in His sight. At the same time, however equal
before God, men and women are not the same. How can we affirm the
equality of men and women before God and yet, at the same time, affirm
and acknowledge the differences?

Inside
Story~
Japan
Ruth

More Precious Than Money

Ruth was born in Ecuador, but moved to Japan with her Japanese- Ecuadorian husband in 2004.

While still in Ecuador she visited many churches, but none satisfied
the deep spiritual longing of her heart. Then one day she visited a
Seventh-day Adventist church and found that the people were kind and the pastor treated people equally.

Around that time, Ruth received a DVD titled The Last Hope, featuring
presentations on the book of Revelation by Pastor Luis Gonçalves. Not
sure what it was about, Ruth set the DVD aside and soon forgot about
it.

Sometime later, Ruth and her husband moved to Japan where they
found work in manufacturing plastic products and soon became
well-respected employees.

Although Ruth was doing well in her work, she still felt that
something was missing in her life. One day while browsing through a
free newspaper she had picked up, her eye caught an advertisement for a
Seventh-day Adventist church. Remembering her friendly encounter with
Seventh-day Adventists in Ecuador, Ruth decided to call the local
pastor, who invited her to visit the church in in Kakigoya, not far
from her home.

At the church, Ruth was delighted to meet Diana, the head elder’s
wife who was Brazilian. Diana offered to study the Bible with Ruth, who
readily accepted. When the two met for their first Bible study, Diana
brought a gift for Ruth-a DVD by Pastor Luis Gonçalves, titled The Last
Hope! All of a sudden, Ruth remembered the same DVD she had come across
in their things from Ecuador. When we move, I usually throw away old stuff, Ruth said, but somehow this DVD stayed with us.

Surprised and convinced that this was more than just a random
coincidence, Ruth immediately starting watching the DVD. As she studied
the Bible with Diana and continued learning more about Revelation, Ruth
was convicted that she had found the truth.

When she learned that the seventh-day Sabbath was God’s holy day, Ruth quickly decided to quit working on Sabbath. Are you crazy? her co-workers asked. You get paid a higher rate on Saturdays. Why don’t you earn the money and give it to your church?There is something more precious than money, Ruth replied. Such
as going to church each Sabbath and learning new things. Learning about
the Ten Commandments and how God Himself wrote them. That’s important.

Before long, Ruth was ready to make a full commitment and was
baptized into the Adventist Church. When her co-workers realized that
Ruth was serious about her new-found faith, they turned against her. You’ve changed, some told her. I can’t work with you, said another. Nevertheless, her supervisor still valued Ruth and allowed her to take every Saturday off.

Many things have changed in my life, Ruth explains. The
way I think, my habits, my relationships with people, everything has
changed. Before I was baptized, I had a hard heart, but now I have
become more sensitive-rich in emotion and can now empathize with others.

Ruth is one of the many South American immigrants in Japan. Members
of the Seventh-day Adventist international church in Japan are actively
seeking to reach others like Ruth who are searching. One of this
quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering projects is to help build an
international evangelistic center in Japan. For more stories either in
print or video, visit www.adventistmission.org. Did you know that you
don’t have to wait for the end of the quarter to give to the Thirteenth
Sabbath Offering projects? You can give any time on our secure website:
giving.adventistmission.org. Thank you for supporting mission!

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